Best examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews

Strong examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews

Let’s start where most managers want help: the actual wording. Here are several of the best examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews, written so you can adapt them directly to your context.

Example of mentoring a new hire
“Over the last six months, Jordan has acted as an informal mentor to two new analysts, meeting with them weekly to review project work and answer questions. Their guidance shortened the onboarding ramp by an estimated four weeks and helped both new hires reach full productivity faster than previous cohorts.”

Example of coaching peers through complex work
“Priya regularly coaches peers on complex client negotiations. Before high‑stakes calls, she walks teammates through likely objections and role‑plays responses. As a result, newer team members report feeling more confident, and our close rate on multi‑stakeholder deals has improved.”

Example of building a learning culture on the team
“Diego has become a go‑to coach on our engineering team. He encourages others to share what they’re learning in weekly ‘tech huddles’ and offers thoughtful code reviews that explain the ‘why’ behind his suggestions. This approach has improved code quality and reduced rework for junior developers.”

Example of mentorship across departments
“Taylor has taken initiative to mentor colleagues in Operations on product features and roadmap. By offering monthly office hours and creating simple guides, they’ve helped non‑technical partners understand trade‑offs and timelines, which has reduced miscommunication and last‑minute escalations.”

Example of coaching for performance improvement
“When a team member struggled with meeting deadlines, Morgan responded as a coach rather than a critic. They worked together to break down tasks, set check‑in points, and clarify priorities. The employee’s on‑time delivery rate improved from 60% to 95% over the quarter.”

Example of sponsoring growth opportunities
“Beyond day‑to‑day mentoring, Sam actively advocates for their mentees. This year, Sam recommended two team members for stretch assignments and provided coaching before key presentations. Both employees successfully delivered and have since taken on expanded responsibilities.”

These real examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews show two things: describe specific behaviors, and connect those behaviors to outcomes like faster onboarding, higher quality work, or stronger team confidence.

How to recognize mentoring and coaching behaviors during the year

You can only write strong examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews if you’ve noticed the behavior along the way. That means watching for patterns, not one‑off moments.

Look for employees who:

• Regularly answer questions in team channels instead of hoarding knowledge.
• Offer to shadow or buddy with new hires.
• Create guides, templates, or how‑to documents for others.
• Give thoughtful feedback that explains reasoning, not just “fix this.”
• Encourage others to present, lead meetings, or try new responsibilities.
• Check in with colleagues after tough projects or failures and help them reflect on what they learned.

These behaviors might not show up in traditional metrics, but they strongly support engagement, retention, and internal mobility. Research from organizations like the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) highlights that structured mentoring programs are linked to better retention and leadership pipelines. When you capture these mentoring actions in reviews, you signal that the organization values them.

To make performance review season easier, keep a simple running log during the year. Whenever you see someone coaching or mentoring, jot down:

• Date
• Who was supported
• What the employee did
• Impact (confidence, speed, quality, fewer errors, better collaboration)

Those quick notes turn into concrete examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews when it’s time to write.

Examples of mentorship and coaching phrases by level

Different levels show mentoring and coaching in different ways. Here are real examples that you can adapt.

Early‑career and individual contributors

At this level, you’re looking for peer support, knowledge sharing, and willingness to help others ramp up.

Positive review phrases
“Alex consistently supports new team members by walking them through our tools and processes. Their calm, patient coaching style helps reduce anxiety for new hires and shortens the learning curve.”

“Although not in a formal leadership role, Mei acts as a mentor to peers by sharing tips, checklists, and examples of high‑quality work. Several teammates have named her as someone who helped them feel successful in their first 90 days.”

“Rashid frequently volunteers to pair‑program with newer engineers, explaining trade‑offs and patterns instead of just fixing code. This coaching approach has helped others understand system design more deeply.”

These are simple but strong examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews for early‑career employees. They show that leadership potential is already present.

Mid‑level professionals and team leads

Here you want examples that show structured coaching, feedback, and development planning.

Positive review phrases
“Carmen holds monthly 1:1 coaching sessions focused not only on current tasks but on long‑term development. She helps team members identify skills for future roles and recommends stretch projects that align with those goals.”

“During the rollout of our new CRM, Luis organized short training sessions and then stayed available for office hours. He tailored his coaching to each person’s comfort level with technology, which led to faster adoption and fewer support tickets.”

“After noticing knowledge gaps in data analysis, Jamie created a three‑part workshop for the team and offered follow‑up coaching. Participants now use data tools more independently, freeing up analytics resources.”

These mid‑level examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews highlight intentional skill‑building, not just being “available for questions.”

Managers and senior leaders

At higher levels, mentorship and coaching should show up both in direct reports’ growth and in broader organizational impact.

Positive review phrases
“Over the past year, three of Dana’s direct reports have been promoted, and each cited her coaching as a key factor. She sets clear development goals, gives practical feedback, and advocates for her team in succession planning discussions.”

“Marcus actively mentors leaders outside his own department, particularly new managers. He shares tools for running effective 1:1s, provides feedback on communication style, and checks in regularly on their progress. This cross‑functional mentorship strengthens our leadership bench.”

“As a senior leader, Aisha models a coaching mindset by asking open‑ended questions, encouraging experimentation, and treating mistakes as learning opportunities. Her organization has one of the highest engagement scores in the company, and employees frequently mention her support for growth in surveys.”

These are some of the best examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews for senior leaders because they connect leadership behavior to measurable outcomes like promotions and engagement.

Remote and hybrid: updated examples for 2024–2025

With so many teams now remote or hybrid, mentoring and coaching look a bit different than they did a few years ago. In 2024–2025, you’ll often see:

• Virtual “office hours” for questions and coaching.
• Shared digital playbooks and Loom‑style walkthroughs.
• Intentional pairing of remote new hires with experienced buddies.

Here are updated examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews that fit modern work:

“Since our shift to hybrid work, Nia has set up weekly virtual drop‑in sessions where teammates can ask questions about our analytics tools. These informal coaching sessions have reduced back‑and‑forth in chat and helped remote team members feel more supported.”

“During a fully remote product launch, Andre paired each new hire with an experienced ‘launch buddy’ and provided structured coaching guides. Feedback from new team members shows they felt connected and prepared despite never meeting in person.”

“Recognizing that not everyone learns the same way, Chloe records short screen‑share videos explaining complex workflows and shares them with the team. This scalable coaching approach is especially helpful for colleagues in different time zones.”

If your organization tracks engagement or well‑being data, you can connect mentoring behaviors to those metrics. For example, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management notes that ongoing feedback and development conversations are key elements of effective performance management systems. When managers are actively coaching, you often see better engagement and lower turnover.

Turning informal mentoring into formal review comments

A lot of mentoring happens quietly: quick Slack messages, side conversations after meetings, or impromptu screen‑shares. To write strong examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews, you need to surface that invisible work.

Here’s a simple way to translate informal mentoring into formal comments:

1. Describe the situation. Who needed help? What was happening?
2. Describe the mentoring or coaching action. What did the employee do or say?
3. Describe the impact. What changed because of their support?

For instance, instead of:

“Chris is always helping people.”

Try:

“When a new project manager joined the team mid‑launch, Chris spent time walking them through project history, risks, and stakeholder expectations. This coaching helped the new PM quickly build credibility and keep the project on track, avoiding potential delays.”

Or instead of:

“Fatima is a great mentor.”

Try:

“Fatima meets biweekly with two junior designers to review portfolios, suggest learning resources, and practice presenting work. Both designers report feeling more confident in stakeholder meetings and have taken on more visible projects as a result.”

These rewrites become clear, concrete examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews that HR and leadership can recognize and reward.

Balancing praise with growth‑focused coaching feedback

Not every comment will be glowing, and that’s okay. Coaching is about growth. You can still write constructive comments in a mentoring tone.

Here are real examples of growth‑oriented feedback:

“Jordan has strong technical skills and often answers colleagues’ questions. The next step in their development is to shift from providing quick fixes to explaining the reasoning behind solutions, so others can learn and become more independent.”

“While Priya is generous with her time, she sometimes takes on too much hands‑on help, which can limit others’ ownership. Over the next cycle, I’d like to see her focus on asking more coaching questions and encouraging teammates to propose their own solutions.”

“In high‑pressure situations, Marcus tends to jump in and take over tasks rather than coaching team members through them. We will work together on strategies to slow down, delegate, and use these moments as learning opportunities.”

These comments still count as examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews because they frame feedback around how the employee can grow as a coach and mentor, not just as an individual contributor.

FAQ: examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews

How do I write a strong example of mentorship in a performance review?
Focus on a specific situation, what the employee did, and the impact. For instance: “Tara mentored a new sales associate through their first quarter, meeting weekly to review pipeline and practice discovery calls. The associate exceeded their ramp‑up target by 20% and reported feeling supported and prepared.” This structure works for most examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews.

Can you give an example of coaching language that isn’t just praise?
Yes. Try something like: “Evan has begun coaching teammates on our new workflow tool. To increase his impact, I encourage him to ask more open‑ended questions (for example, ‘How might you approach this?’) so colleagues practice problem‑solving rather than waiting for step‑by‑step instructions.” This is an example of feedback that nudges someone toward stronger coaching behaviors.

What are some examples of mentorship and coaching for non‑managers?
Non‑managers can mentor and coach by answering questions in shared channels, pairing with new hires, sharing checklists or templates, or offering to review work before it goes to a client. A review comment might read: “Although not a people manager, Lina regularly reviews junior teammates’ work, explains her suggestions, and shares examples of strong deliverables. Several new hires have credited her support with helping them feel successful early on.”

How often should mentorship and coaching show up in performance reviews?
In 2024–2025, many organizations expect at least some mention of mentoring or coaching for anyone at mid‑level or above, and for early‑career employees who show leadership potential. You don’t need a long section every time, but including at least one or two clear examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews helps reinforce that developing others is part of strong performance.

Where can I learn more about effective coaching and mentoring at work?
Many universities and professional organizations publish guidance on mentoring and coaching. For example, Harvard University’s mentoring resources outline practical approaches to workplace mentoring relationships, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management shares career development and mentoring guidance for federal employees that can be adapted to other contexts.

When you highlight real, behavior‑based examples of mentorship and coaching in performance reviews, you do more than fill a form. You recognize the quiet work of developing others, you signal what the organization truly values, and you help build a culture where coaching and learning are part of everyday work—not just a once‑a‑year conversation.